


Sväva

by DigitalMeowMix



Category: Flygresor.se "Kattreklamen" Commercials
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2017-03-30
Packaged: 2018-10-12 20:40:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10499064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DigitalMeowMix/pseuds/DigitalMeowMix
Summary: A monthly maintenance check up of a new kitten plane.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [phidari](https://archiveofourown.org/users/phidari/gifts).



As Marabou glided down the runway, his tail wing began to flick nervously. He was anxious about his first monthly maintenance check at the hangar bay later that day. He had been working for the airline "Kattdjur Flygning" for a month and he loved it so far; everyday was an adventure, just like he had always dreamed it would be. He had grown up at his mother's teat hearing stories of the brave and hardworking kitten planes, and had stayed at the table of his mother's stomach long after his siblings had trotted off to make mischief to listen to his mother's tales. As he had grown and began to venture out of the blanket-lined box that he had been raised in, he had sat in the way of the of the TV and laid on many books, and he had learned that his mother's stories were true and had decided being a kitten plane was his destiny.

It had taken a long time and a lot of hard work to get to his first assignment at an major airport. The tests at the academy had been exhaustive. Navigation lessons blindfolded using only the his whiskers and their sensitive vibrations. Memorizing call signs from the control tower over the radio of long, complicated melodies of meows, trills, and squeaks and hisses. Practicing takeoff by leaping off increasingly tall furniture. It had been exhausting and he had taken more naps whenever he could spare them than he had ever done before. When he had called home to his mother she had just laughed and said recognizing the restorative nature of a power nap in a sunbeam was a sign he was finally growing up, that his hyperactive kitten days were behind him. He spared a warm, deep purr of love and gratitude to his mother and made a note to call her with the news of how his big day went that evening as he entered the main hangar bay.

The hangar bay was as chaotic as ever: jingle balls and squeaky mice were strewn everywhere. The sounds of kitten planes being groomed and given given their check ups was a dull roar of meows and hissing. Giant scratching posts sat in every corner of the large garage, each one torn to shreds but still somehow sturdy enough to remain standing to take more abuse. This was because they were made especially for cats planes; they were made of heavy-duty steel beams surrounded by a five foot thick ironwood posts, the hardest of woods, that were imported from Australia. A few giant fluffy pillows as big as city buses lay in the corner of the building and in them rested a few of his fellow kitten plane fleet members. 

Flight 101 had just returned from a packed flight to Hawaii and was now catching some shuteye. Her fluffy bright orange tummy rose and fell as she laid on her back with her legs sprawled every which way. Next to her was a flight 635, due to lift off a few hours for Bangkok with a layover in Japan. He opened one of his blue eyes lazily and flicked his sleek white tail in greeting. Marabou chirped once in response as he passed the resting kitten planes and trotted to the diagnosis center. 

The maintenance technician was already waiting there dressed in their crisp blue smock, not yet covered in fur and catnip, and wearing a hat with the the logo of the airline embroidered on it - a red pawprint sporting a fluffy wing on either side. He chirped in greeting when he realized It was Astrid, his favorite tech. She was always very patient with him when they had worked together on the runway and she gave really good pats,and the other kitten planes had said that as long as you cooperated you got a catnip mouse at the end of every check up with her. 

"Hello there," Astrid greeted him. "Ready for your check up?" He nuzzled Astrid very gently as an affirmative, being careful not to knock her over. "Then let's get started," she said, with a smile.

First up was a full brushing to check for damage to his exterior, ticks and fleas and burrs or matts. This was always done first to assure the kitten plane was in a calm and happy state while the tech did their jobs as an irritated or enraged kitten plane could cause quite a commotion of hissing and yowling and even hurt an inexperienced tech with scratches, bites, or being knocked over. If needed, the Purrito Alarm would sound through the the hanger and a huge blanket would be released from the the ceiling like a tarp to construct and calm the kitten plane in distress. 

He leaned into the giant crane-operated horsehair brush that Astrid was using to buff his soft tuxedo-patterned fur and let his engine purr contentedly. After a good rubdown, it was time for the navigation diagnostic test. Astrid used a reflex hammer to lightly tap each whisker to test his reflexes and durability, then a tuning fork to check the whiskers were tuned correctly. It was important that a kitten plane's whiskers were always finely tuned in order to navigate in any kind of weather. Then she massaged each long, coarse whisker with balm to soothe and moisturize them. He tried his best to stay still while all this was done, even though his tail twitched a bit at having his whiskers handled as it always made him very ticklish. After his whiskers were smooth and shiny, it was time for his back tail wing alignment which went by quickly; his tail was always in top condition. Some kitten planes had back tail wings that developed kinks in them or that twitched too much, which was very bad for a kitten plane's aerodynamics and steering. Then came an ear cleaning to assure his perky black ears were free of debris that that could get in them when flying at high speeds.

Then came the final part of the check up and the part most kitten planes dreaded most of the monthly maintenance checks: brake maintenance. A kitten plane's paws had to be in top condition for runway use, especially takeoffs and landing - if a kitten plane's claws were too long and sharp they could stick in the runway and liftoff wouldn't be achieved, but on the other hand if their claws were too short or dull they wouldn't provide the necessary drag when applied as brakes and a kitten plane could careen off the runway into disaster. A kitten plane's paws were extremely sensitive and having them handled was unpleasant. He had hated this part of the maintenance check in training at the academy and it had taken him months before he could submit to it without the Purrito Alarm being used. But by the time graduation had rolled around, his instructor had praised him for his calm and professional manner.

Astrid talked softly to him as she trimmed his claws, she was quick but efficient and he appreciated it. She had a gentle touch and gently stroked each paw as she trimmed it.She told him stories about the other kitten planes she had serviced that day and he found himself purring in contentment at the gentle treatment and closed his eyes, this wasn't so bad after all.After several minutes she let go of his left back paw and stood back. "All done, you're ready to go." she exclaimed. 

He was startled as he had apparently drifted into a trance, but he gave a chirp of happiness and nuzzled her in thanks. She signed an official form stating he had had his check up and stamped it with a big paw print stamp then gave it to him with directions to give it to his supervisor at the command center. She also gave him a customary catnip mouse with stern instructions to not imbibe until he got home.He grasped the form in his mouth carefully as to not wrinkle it too much and let Astrid put the catnip mouse in a bag attracted to his tail wing.Then he trotted out of the hangar bay with a muffled meow of thanks and farewell. He was eager to get back up there among the clouds and continue living his dream. But first he would enjoy his new catnip mouse for a while.

**Author's Note:**

> Marabou is a famous brand of Swedish Chocolate. The title means soar in Swedish. The name of the airline is Feline Flight in Swedish.I only did a cursory Google search on airplane repair and maintenance.


End file.
